Two new cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Lithuania, Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys said on Thursday.
A total of five cases of the disease have been recorded in Lithuania so far.
Read more: All monkeypox cases in Lithuania traced to Germany
Three cases were reported last week. They were not linked to each other, although all of the infected people returned from Germany. They were treated as outpatients.
Monkeypox can be contracted by anyone, but the risk of infection is higher for people who have direct physical contact with a sick person.
The virus can be transmitted through skin lesions, through airborne droplets, and through shared items such as bedding and towels. Monkeypox can also be contracted through sexual intercourse.
People with monkeypox experience fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face.
There is no specific treatment for monkeypox, but vaccinations have been found to protect against the disease.
Lithuania expects to receive 1,400 doses of monkeypox vaccine in August.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 23,000 cases of monkeypox have been detected in the world outside Africa since the beginning of May, most of them in Europe.
The WHO has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Monkeypox is very similar to smallpox, which used to kill millions of people worldwide every year until the disease was eradicated in 1980. The symptoms of monkeypox are much milder.
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